Monday, March 12, 2012
Mappy Monday - Big Black River 17 May 1863
Below is a battlefield map showing the Big Black River area when Joseph Thomas Jones was captured on 17 May 1863 in Mississippi:
Source: Fold3.com, Civil War Maps database, Civil War Maps 1861-1865, Library of Congress & Virginia Historical Society.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Jones Family in the Civil War, Part 1
Like many Tennessee families, the Jones family of Jefferson County dealt with divided loyalties among the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. In January I wrote about Corporal Francis Marion Jones, who enlisted in the 9th Tennessee Calvary on the Union side. Last
month, I also covered his commanding officer, Captain John Thornhill,
nephew of Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. While Francis and John Thornhill joined the Union side, Francis' brothers Martin V.
Jones and Joseph Thomas Jones (my 3rd-great-grandfather) enlisted on the Confederate side.
Joseph joined Company F, 61st Tennessee Mounted Infantry on 3 September 1862 in Morristown, Tennessee. Martin joined Company F in December 1862. Joseph (appearing on the service roll as Thomas) was present in the company in March and April 1863. Joseph transferred to Company G, 61st Infantry on 1 April 1863.
One thing I find fascinating was that when Joseph Thomas Jones joined the 61st Infantry, he had 4 young children at home (his youngest son, Marion Columbus Jones had been born in April 1862). He had grown up hearing about his father and older brother's deaths in the Mexican War, and saw his mother's struggle to receive a widow's pension. Joseph's older sisters Catherine, Margaret Caroline, Emeline, Adaline and younger sister Mary had all gotten married before the Civil War. Joseph would have been the oldest son in the family at this time.
Prisoner of War
According to his muster roll, Joseph was captured at the Battle of Big Black River on 17 May 1863 (see http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ms010.htm and http://www.nps.gov/vick/historyculture/bigblack.htm). A detailed account has been written by Rebecca Blackwell Drake and is worth a read at http://battleofchampionhill.org/history/big-black.htm. Joseph was sent to Memphis with other prisoners of war on 25 May 1863, and then transferred to Fort Delaware, Delaware on 15 June 1863.
On 20 September 1863, Joseph was sent from Fort Delaware to Point Lookout, Maryland. This has been referenced as the largest and worst northern prisoner of war camp (see http://www.censusdiggins.com/prison_ptlookout.html). The map below shows Point Lookout's location at the point where the Potomac River empties into the Chesapeake Bay.
At some point, Joseph was paroled at Point Lookout and released as part of a prisoner exchange on 10 February 1864.
Another interesting bit of history is that on 4 February 1864, one week before Joseph was paroled in the prisoner exchange, Abraham Lincoln wrote to the US Senate on correspondence between Union and Confederate authorities on the exchange of prisoners (see the Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 7):
Joseph returned to Jefferson County, Tennessee to his wife Mary Katherine Green Jones and their four children. He must have returned home by mid to late February or March 1864, because Mary gave birth to their fifth child, Nancy Cornelia Jones, in November 1864, approximately 9 months after Joseph returned home from war.
Joseph's brother Martin Van Buren Jones (named after the 8th President of the United States, who served between 1837-1841) was also captured outside of Vicksburg, Mississippi around 17 May 1863. He filed a Confederate Pension application, and his wife filed a widow's pension application after Martin died. I'll have more on Martin and his pension in a later post. Martin received his pension, and died on 2 February 1918 in Erath County, Texas.
As noted in earlier posts, Joseph Thomas Jones and family later moved to Boone County, Indiana. Joseph appears in the 1870 Census in Jefferson County and by the 1880 US Census the family had moved to Boone County. His oldest daughter Martha appears in Oklahoma in 1900. Marion Columbus Jones also went to Oklahoma and later Kansas.
There is also a Joseph Jones who appears in White Pine, Jefferson County, Tennessee in the 1900 Census, born in April 1838 (with father born in Tennessee and mother from Virginia), married to a Cordie Jones, age 36. The Tennessee Marriage Records, 1780-2002, show that a Joseph Jones married Cordia Hart on 1 December 1897 in Jefferson County. There is a death record in Jefferson County for a Joseph Jones, age 71 years, on 21 January 1910. This is possibly my 3rd-great-grandfather, but I need to request records.
--
Joseph Thomas Jones' service information and images from the Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee, National Archives Publication Number M268, via Fold3.com.
Joseph joined Company F, 61st Tennessee Mounted Infantry on 3 September 1862 in Morristown, Tennessee. Martin joined Company F in December 1862. Joseph (appearing on the service roll as Thomas) was present in the company in March and April 1863. Joseph transferred to Company G, 61st Infantry on 1 April 1863.
One thing I find fascinating was that when Joseph Thomas Jones joined the 61st Infantry, he had 4 young children at home (his youngest son, Marion Columbus Jones had been born in April 1862). He had grown up hearing about his father and older brother's deaths in the Mexican War, and saw his mother's struggle to receive a widow's pension. Joseph's older sisters Catherine, Margaret Caroline, Emeline, Adaline and younger sister Mary had all gotten married before the Civil War. Joseph would have been the oldest son in the family at this time.
Prisoner of War
According to his muster roll, Joseph was captured at the Battle of Big Black River on 17 May 1863 (see http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ms010.htm and http://www.nps.gov/vick/historyculture/bigblack.htm). A detailed account has been written by Rebecca Blackwell Drake and is worth a read at http://battleofchampionhill.org/history/big-black.htm. Joseph was sent to Memphis with other prisoners of war on 25 May 1863, and then transferred to Fort Delaware, Delaware on 15 June 1863.
Annotation
[1] DS, DNA RG 46, Senate 38A F2. Stanton's report of February 4
with enclosures is printed in Thirty-eighth Congress, First Session, Senate Executive Document No. 17.
Joseph's brother Martin Van Buren Jones (named after the 8th President of the United States, who served between 1837-1841) was also captured outside of Vicksburg, Mississippi around 17 May 1863. He filed a Confederate Pension application, and his wife filed a widow's pension application after Martin died. I'll have more on Martin and his pension in a later post. Martin received his pension, and died on 2 February 1918 in Erath County, Texas.
As noted in earlier posts, Joseph Thomas Jones and family later moved to Boone County, Indiana. Joseph appears in the 1870 Census in Jefferson County and by the 1880 US Census the family had moved to Boone County. His oldest daughter Martha appears in Oklahoma in 1900. Marion Columbus Jones also went to Oklahoma and later Kansas.
There is also a Joseph Jones who appears in White Pine, Jefferson County, Tennessee in the 1900 Census, born in April 1838 (with father born in Tennessee and mother from Virginia), married to a Cordie Jones, age 36. The Tennessee Marriage Records, 1780-2002, show that a Joseph Jones married Cordia Hart on 1 December 1897 in Jefferson County. There is a death record in Jefferson County for a Joseph Jones, age 71 years, on 21 January 1910. This is possibly my 3rd-great-grandfather, but I need to request records.
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Joseph Thomas Jones' service information and images from the Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee, National Archives Publication Number M268, via Fold3.com.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Thomas Jones 1778-1857
My Jones family links in Tennessee predate the formation of the state. I have previously written about Thomas Jones and his land purchases in Jefferson County on the French Broad River (see An Island in the French Broad from 11 February 2012), the decision against him in the State of Tennessee vs Thomas Jones (post dated 9 February 2012), and the records from Dumplin Creek Baptist Church (post dated 5 February 2012). This post is to tie up loose ends and cover Thomas' story as best as I know currently. [UPDATED 29 Dec 2012]
Thomas Jones (my 5th-great-grandfather) was born in North Carolina around 1778, although it is unclear at this time if this was within the present borders of Tennessee or North Carolina. He married Nancy Tucker on 30 June 1798 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. From the Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002:
Nancy was the daughter of James Tucker and Jane, and was born in North Carolina around 1773. James filed a pension application from service in the Revolutionary War for North Carolina, and I will have more on him in a subsequent post.
Census Records featuring Thomas Jones
Thomas appears in the 1830, 1840 and 1850 US Census records in Jefferson County. In the 1830 US Census, Thomas is listed with 1 male of 5 and under 10, 1 male of 15 and under 20, 1 male of 20 and under 30, 1 male of 50 and under 60 (Thomas), 1 female under 5, 2 females of 5 and under 10, 1 female of 10 and under 20, and 1 female of 50 and under 60 (Nancy).
In 1840, Thomas Jones appears in the Northern Division of Jefferson County. In this record, there is one male of 15 and under 20, one 20 and under 30, and Thomas shown of 60 and under 70. There are also 2 females of 15 and under 20, and Nancy shown of 60 and under 70. Thomas Jones is residing near William Caldwell, John Kerr, Hugh Henry, and Duke Kimbrough (pastor at Dumplin Creek Baptist, who had married Robert Thomas Jones Sr and Elizabeth Thornhill).
By 1850, Thomas Jones is in District 13 of Jefferson County. He is shown as 72 years old, a farmer, with value of real estate worth $600, and from North Carolina. Nancy is on the next page, with daughter Malinda Jones (age 24).
I have an unsourced death date for Thomas Jones in 1857. Nancy does not appear in the 1860 Census in Jefferson County, so I also assume that she died sometime between 1850 and 1860.
Other Records
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Children of Thomas Jones and Nancy Tucker
I will test this theory in upcoming posts but would welcome input from other researchers of the Jones family in East Tennessee.
Thomas Jones (my 5th-great-grandfather) was born in North Carolina around 1778, although it is unclear at this time if this was within the present borders of Tennessee or North Carolina. He married Nancy Tucker on 30 June 1798 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. From the Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002:
Census Records featuring Thomas Jones
Thomas appears in the 1830, 1840 and 1850 US Census records in Jefferson County. In the 1830 US Census, Thomas is listed with 1 male of 5 and under 10, 1 male of 15 and under 20, 1 male of 20 and under 30, 1 male of 50 and under 60 (Thomas), 1 female under 5, 2 females of 5 and under 10, 1 female of 10 and under 20, and 1 female of 50 and under 60 (Nancy).
Other Records
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In the Jefferson County Will Book
No. 1 1792-1810, Thomas Jones appears in an inventory of the estate of Jesse
Walker:
Page
331-333 Richard Hix Admr.
An
inventory of the estate of Jesse Walker dec’d taken this 21st day of
October 1807.
Sale of said estate at twelve months credit to wit, November 3, 1807:
Sold to Richard Hix, James Simpson, Polly Walker, John Hays, John Henderson,
Miss Walker, Thos. Jones, Jacob Layman, Elizabeth Walker, Lewis Ellis, Michael
Banner, Andrew Henderson, Alex. Shadden, Jas. Doherty, Hugh Keys, John Hix,
Hammond McCullough, Robt. Armstrong, and James Nelson. Judgement against Chas.
Carter in the amount of $11.64.
Richard
Hix January 23, 1808
In the book MISCELLANEOUS BONDS:
ADMINISTRATION 1806-1814, CONSTABLES 1806-1857, MAINTENANCE (BASTARDY)
1807-1857, INDENTURES 1807-1828 JEFFERSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE, transcribed by
Billie R. McNamara, Thomas Jones appears as a surety in several bond
cases.
Page
28- “BOND NO. 15 DATE 14 Dec 1830 MOTHER Mary
Gass BOUND PARTY Joseph Thornhill SURETIES John Baker; Thomas Jones
CHARGE Joseph Thornhill hath been charged with being the reputed father
of a Base begotten Child a Boy of the body of Mary Gass SIGNATURES Joseph
X Thornbill; John Baker; Thomas X Jones”
Joseph Thornhill was the brother of Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. Joseph Thornhill married Mary Gass
(b. 1805 in Jefferson County) on 31 August 1830 in Jefferson County. Her father
was Samuel Gass (b. 1764, Ireland, d. 1839), mother Rebecca Kerr (http://www.harringtons.org/documents/gedcoms/John-E-Harrington/d0000/g0000064.html#I2140). The child
described in this bond was Thomas W Thornhill, born Mar 1829.
Elizabeth’s mother, Sarah Westall [Restall] Thornhill, remained in the
Jefferson County/Hamblen County area and appears in the 1860 Census.
John Baker was the son of James Baker, a prominent land owner in
Jefferson County in the late 1790s & early 1800s (see http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/COATES/2003-07/1059627825).
“BOND
NO. 83 DATE 10 Sep
1821 BOND AMOUNT $500 CONSTABLE Robert M.
Newman SURETY John Douglas; Tho Jones SIGNATURES Rob' M.
Newman; John Dugless; Thos Jones”
Robert M. Newman was
the son of Sara Irwin and Isaac Newman, born 15 Mar 1796 in Jefferson County,
TN. Sara Irwin & Isaac Newman were from Guilford County, North Carolina
(1753 & 1755), see http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2041456&id=I99711775.
In the Jefferson
County Will Book 3 1826-1833, Thomas Jones is listed in the Sale of Estate of
James Campbell. It reads:
Taken
Nov. 1, 1826, due Nov. 18, 1827 to Jane Campbell: Purchasers; William Caldwell,
Elliott Peck, John Hays, Margaret Fain, Robert Miller, Thomas Jones, Alex.
Newman, John Baker, Newman Caldwell, Henry H. Peck, one note of hand of 30
dollars on David Ashmore due three or four years ago, due from Nathan Sellars
12, Dec, R. F. Campbell, Joseph Hamilton Ck.
Caldwell
Will located at http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/CAMPBELL/2006-09/1158356825.
Jane Campbell’s maiden name was Peck, her brothers were Elliott and Henry Peck.
The Peck family came to Tennessee from Virginia and Maryland (see http://jefferson.tngenealogy.net/research-aids/17-families/328-bible-and-records-of-wiley-peck).
Thomas Jones and Samuel Jones (a son?) are referenced
in the will of Samuel Lane in Jefferson County in 1847 (see http://ladytuffie.tripod.com/LaneFamilyTree/id4.html).
Lane was the son of Tidence Lane (1724-1805), first Baptist minister in
Tennessee.
Children of Thomas Jones and Nancy Tucker
Based on a combination of the Census records, the
Tennessee Marriage records for 1780-2002, and other resources on Ancestry.com,
it my belief that Thomas Jones and Nancy Tucker had the following children:
1.
Joshua Jones, born about 1799 in Jefferson
County. Joshua Jones married Margaret Dick in Jefferson County on 14 July 1827.
Joshua Jones appears in the 1830 Census in Jefferson County near Thomas Jones.
2.
Robert Jones, born about 1806 in Jefferson
County. Robert married Betsy (Elizabeth) Thornhill on 20 October 1824 in
Jefferson County. Robert Jones appears in the 1830 Census next door to Betsy’s
mother Sarah Westall [Restall] Thornhill.
3. William Jones, born 1801; moved to Marion County, Arkansas
4. Elizabeth Jones, born about 1810-1820, married Hugh Henry on 20 Sept 1831 in Jefferson County, Tennessee
5. Conway Jones, born about
1812, married Ruth Biggs on 10 Nov 1840 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Moved to Hamilton County, Tennessee, then to Logan County, Arkansas
6.
Unknown Male [possibly Samuel] Jones, born about 1820-1825
7.
Unknown Female Jones, born about 1820-1825
8.
Unknown Female Jones, born about 1820-1825
9. Malinda
Jones, born about 1826 in Jefferson County. Malinda married Joel Pruett on 20
July 1852 in Jefferson County.
I will test this theory in upcoming posts but would welcome input from other researchers of the Jones family in East Tennessee.
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